Compare And Contrast Ishmael Beah And Malala Yousafzai

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Both unexpected fighters in wars bigger than themselves, Malala Yousafzai and Ishmael Beah fight for their rights and most importantly, their lives. Each of their books displays very different stories. Malala tells a tale of being born into a world who wishes she was a boy and tries to deny her education. Because she spoke out about the issues in her home country of Pakistan she is shot in the head by the Taliban. Ishmael is thrown into the middle of a civil war where no side is any better than the other. The Sierra Leon government placed a gun in his hand at the age of thirteen, teaching him to shoot. Courage can be found in the harshest of places and in the most unlikely of people. Ishmael made a point of explaining how war and fear affected …show more content…

"I would always tell people that I believe that children have the resilience to outlive their sufferings, if given a chance" (Beah 169). The boys who had been forced to kill and fight a war that wasn’t theirs were taking steps towards recovery, surprisingly quickly. They began to be able to be children and young adults again. Stolen childhoods didn’t mean no adulthood. Children were braver and stronger than the adults surrounding them. Likewise, Malala had the courage to give herself a second chance. “I told myself, Malala, you have already faced death. This is your second life. Don't be afraid — if you are afraid, you can't move forward” (Yousafzai 308). She went through the horror of being and rushed from hospital to hospital, away from her family. She suffered through a drawn out recovery, yet Malala still has hope that she can be brave and make change in her new life. Her strength to continue fighting is …show more content…

On the topic she claimed, “If one man can destroy everything, why can't one girl change it? (Yousafzai 141-142). This brings up the valid point that just because a young girl may not seem like the predictable one to save her country and beliefs, doesn’t mean she can’t. Malala has started her own charity that has helped communities across the world get the education they need and other necessities for living healthy lives. Malala’s perseverance has given her cause global attention and the traction to make a real impact on a worldwide

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